Deep in the rainforests of Central and South America grew the cocoa tree. Did you know that chocolate is made from the seeds of the cocoa tree?

Did you also know that Americans rank chocolate as one of their top indulgences?
Even during this recession Americans are still seeking out comfort and warmth through our drinks. The sales of tea and coffee continue to be brisk. So the recent trend of chocolate with tea makes sense.

Chocolate is decadent and rich. When one thinks of chocolates we do not see them as a healthful food. We think of indulgence!

Hereís a small history of chocolate: Sometime about 2,000 years ago the cocoa tree was discovered. The ancient peoples of the Mayan and the Aztec took the cocoa seeds and ground them. Then they mixed the seeds with other spices and heated and stirred their brew into a froth. The natives were soothed by this new drink they had discovered.

Soon the Conquistadors came to the South American continent, and they were given seeds from the cocoa tree. The Spaniards brought the seeds home with them back to Spain. In 1521 during the Conquest of Mexico, Europe had its first taste of the chocolate drink. The Spanish saw the potential in the bitter chocolate. And that the Europeans liked it. They went on to make the chocolate an expensive export/import.

The Spanish added things like cinnamon and sugars to their hot cocoa drink. The European upper class enjoyed the now expensive drink, and garnered much status. So just like tea, cocoa was also being used as a bargaining chip, or expensive commodity. Chocolate became a huge symbol of wealth and stature.

By the 1800ís the Industrial Revolution came and now chocolate was being mass-produced. The revolution brought new equipment and inventions and now chocolate could also be made quickly. This meant that chocolate could be brought to all over the world!

What are the chemicals and substances that are in chocolate that make this a healthful type of food? In fact, like tea chocolate contains caffeine, theobromine, and phenyethylamine. The flavinoid compound in dark chocolate contain epicatechin. And all of these things are good for the human body.

Today tea continues to be a drink that many consumers want. Tea itself is very healthful and mixed with the chocolate it becomes a powerful drink.

If you are either a tea drinker, or like hot cocao, you may want to purchase tea with chocolate products in them. Most of the very large companies carry either loose tea, or bagged tea. They are readily available in finer-food stores, health food stores, on-line and mail-order.
Enjoy the newest of trends in te